As the Myanmar army is in fierce battle with the separatists’ rebel forces in Rakhaine, the conflict-situation at the border is getting more intense and complex. The situation is created as the 'Three Brotherhood,' the alliance of 3 rebel groups, occupied most of the places in Rakhaine, driving away the Myanmar army.
Myanmar forces are now firing mortar and machineguns, in addition to firing shells from helicopter and planes, to the areas that went out of their hands. Hence, the local people are leaving their homes and they’re trying to enter into India and Bangladesh. In this circumstance, Bangladesh Border Guards (BGB) has taken alert position on Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Meanwhile, fear among the local people living at the border of Bangladesh has been expanding as the sound of explosion and firing has been heard. The shells of mortars sometimes race into the lands of Bangladesh. A fear was raised over the entry of huge number of Rohingyas into Bangladesh again.
According to the Cox's Bazar representative of The Bangladesh Pratidin, the Arakan Army, a rebel group of Myanmar, is fighting a fierce battle with the military junta in Rakhine State. Various sources on the border said that the fighting is spreading everywhere in Rakhine as well as at the border areas of Bangladesh. Arakan Army fighters have occupied vast areas of Rakhine after intense fighting in the last few days. A large number of Rohingya people were reported to have been killed in the firing between the military junta and the Arakan Army.
In the last few days, the border area of Bangladesh is shaking with the sound of intense gunfire across the border. Bangladeshi residents on the border are under various fears. On Saturday afternoon, a shell fired by two groups in Rakhine hit a house on the Ulubnia border in Teknaf. During the day-long mortar shelling and shelling across the border, a bullet hit the tin sheets of the house of Nurul Islam, a resident of Ulubnia village. The bullet was later handed over to the in-charge of the local BGB outpost.
Meanwhile, BGB has strengthened the security in the border area of Bangladesh amid the tense situation across the border. The BGB is on alert patrolling along the Naf River and on the border. BGB sources has said that the BGB has stepped up patrolling along the 270-km long border from Teknaf in Cox's Bazar, Palangkhali in Ukhia and Naikhyangchari to Alikadam. In this situation, BGB is ready to prevent any kind of infiltration including Rohingya. Last year, the Arakan Army's shelling and mortar shelling with the Myanmar Army across the Naikhyngchari border led to mortar shells hitting Tumbru village in Naikhyngchari. However, Bangladesh has officially protested to Myanmar in the incident of Myanmar's military helicopters firing on the border of Bangladesh several times.
The headquarters of BGB on Sunday said that the Director General (DG) of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Major General AKM Nazmul Hasan visited the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. At this time, BGB Director General exchanged views with all levels of BGB members in charge at the border. He directed everyone to perform their duties with utmost professionalism and be extremely vigilant in dealing with any situation arising at the border. According to the BGB press release, the BGB Director General visited Palangkhali BOP of Ukhia under Cox's Bazar Battalion (34 BGB) and Tumbru BOP and Ghumdhum border area of Naikhyangchari in Bandarban and Hoikang BOP under Teknaf Battalion (2 BGB) and adjacent areas. During the visit BGB Director General along with senior officers of BGB Headquarters, Cox's Bazar Region Commander, Ramu Sector Commander and other officers of BGB were present.
UN Resident Coordinator Gwen Lewis has spoken about the new influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar to Bangladesh. On Sunday, the foreign ministry in Dhaka told reporters that there is a fight on the Myanmar border. However, the Rohingyas have not yet crossed the border. Gwen Lewis said the current insecurity in Rakhine was discussed. The security situation there is now very difficult. Its not the right time for Rohingya repatriation. However, we hope that the Rohingyas can return safely and with dignity as there is unrest in Rakhine now.
According to various international media reports, since last Thursday, the independence-seeking rebels of Rakhine began to attack the Myanmar junta forces. Within three days they were able to capture most of Rakhine. In this battle, the Myanmar forces suffered heavy losses and were forced to flee leaving behind a large amount of ammunition. The 'Three Brotherhood', an alliance of three rebel groups, includes the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the National Liberation Army. In this situation, another group, the National Liberation Organization (NLO), which has been negotiating with the Myanmar junta for a long time, has announced to cancel the talks and entered the battle field. This has made the Rakhine situation more complicated. Myanmar forces are now in a situation of further retreat. According to a news report, there was a fierce clash between the two sides in Buchidong and Phumali areas of Rakhine last Friday. It spread among the Rohingya in Rakhine. Due to the ongoing conflict in Rakhine, Rohingyas have been trying to infiltrate into Bangladesh for some days. However, due to the strengthening of security in the border areas, Myanmar's minority Muslim population has returned to their original homes. On Thursday and Friday, local residents reported that gunshots were heard intermittently from across the Naf River.
According to a report by Radio Free Asia, hundreds of thousands of Rakhine residents have already left the state due to the escalation of fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army. Myanmar's local media Narinjara stated in a report that after Arakan Army took full control of Rakhine's port city of Paktao last Friday, fierce fighting began with the Myanmar army to take control of the cities of Mrak U, Minbia, Kyakto and Rathidong. A fierce battle erupted between the two sides when the army's Ninth Command area was attacked in its strategically important area of Kaladan Valley early on Friday morning. The 9th Command Area of the Myanmar Army located in Kyakto area is considered as an important installation. At one point, unable to cope with the insurgents, the Myanmar army fled, leaving huge ammunition and weapons behind. Since then, Myanmar forces have been firing artillery shells from their positions and bombing from planes and helicopters.
(The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on January 29 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque Khan)
